Bogbeskrivelse: Den første Rolls-Royce panserbil var et privatejet køretøj udstyret med et maskingevær og en begrænset mængde panserplade på et skibsværft i Frankrig. Den blev brugt af en eskadrille fra Royal Naval Air Service i Flandern i 1914. Med støtte fra First Lord of the Admiralitet fulgte Winston Churchill flere og bedre versioner, indtil der i 1915 var omkring 100 af dem, som derefter blev overdraget til hæren. "De søgte verden efter krig", som Sir Albert Stern sagde om dem, og inden længe var der Rolls-Royce pansrede biler, der kørte så langt fra hinanden som Tysk Sydvestafrika, den vestlige ørken, Gallipoli, over hele Mellemøsten og Indiens nordvestlige grænse.
All of them used the classic 40/50hp Silver Ghost chassis. They were fast, silent and reliable but above all strong. “A Rolls in the desert is above rubies” said Lawrence of Arabia and the Duke of Westminster would have agreed with him following his famous raid to rescue the kidnapped crew of the steamship HMS Tara. At least one car accompanied the adventurous MP Oliver Locker-Lampson on his adventures in Russia.
After the war, unable to find a better model the War Office simply copied the original Admiralty design with minor improvements. If that was not enough the Royal Air Force also acquired some to support their operations in the Middle East. A new design with a larger body and dome shaped turret also appeared for service in India. They also served in Ireland and even, briefly in Shanghai.
